Addressing Recent Topics

Just doing some catching up here:

• Thank God Abdul Rahman is finally safe and out of the clutches of the Muslims. May God keep him and other Christian converts from the "peaceful" religion of Islam safe.
• Regarding the Christian "Peacemakers" -- what Jeff said. Also, via the Anchoress, Dr. Sanity has a good analysis of the psychology behind ingratitude. I have noticed this about many people -- the more you help them, the more they hate and resent you. But yet they continue to expect your help, as if they're entitled to it.

  While on the subject of Christianity and peacemaking, I would say this saint did a lot more for the cause than these CPT guys. (Via Relapsed Catholic.)

• A word about the Ben Domenech plagiarism scandal...I'll repeat here what I've said elsewhere:

  I was very shocked and dismayed to find this out about Ben Domenech. He is one of the last people I would have expected something like this from -- he seemed like a smart guy with a lot of integrity. When he used to blog, I used to stop by pretty regularly and I had him on my blogroll. I linked to his posts quite a few times. Now I wonder if he really wrote the stuff I linked. Plagiarism is not only wrong, but it is really, really stupid in the Internet age. It’s so easy to get caught. The left, being the bloodthirsty morlocks they are, wanted their pound of flesh, and it was handed to them on a silver platter by Domenech himself.

  I also hate the way some of his friends turned on people like Michelle Malkin. Was she supposed to ignore the obvious and stick up for him just because they are on the same side politically? To me, a real friend will encourage him to come clean and make amends, rather than make excuses for him and cover for him. That is enabling, not friendship. I truly hope that Ben Domenech will be able to rehabilitate himself and rebuild his career.

• Ilyka wraps up her series about strawfeminists. I have a couple of things to add. While Ilyka did an excellent job tearing apart the strawfeminist, the fact remains that there is a feminist "orthodoxy". Anything that goes against this orthodoxy is heresy, for which many feminists (but not all) will burn you at the stake (figuratively, of course). For example, I'm pro-life, which is a major offense against feminist orthodoxy. And while I acknowledge that sexism is a problem, and while I believe in women's equality, I don't think there's some "patriarchy" out to get me. I am also a Christian, and I've noticed more than a little bigotry and hatred towards Christians on some feminist sites. (For example, one constantly uses the hate word "godbag" to refer to Christians.) I don't know if I could be considered a feminist or not, but if I am one, I am a heterodox one. The fact is, most feminists would consider me a heretic and an apostate. There is no room for the likes of me in their tent, and you know, I'm perfectly okay with that. I don't go where I'm not wanted.
• The crunchy cons are wrapping things up this week, and I assume the Contra Crunchy Blog will be doing likewise. I recommend giving the Contra Crunchies a read...not just the posts but the comments, too. The posts are funny, but the comments go beyond the humor and get into some good discussions -- better than any found at NRO's crunchy blog. (Here is the latest of those discussions.) Also, a few pro-crunchies showed up and did not acquit themselves very well. This, of course, is nothing new.

Pet Blogging

I'm sick of all the heavy subjects and turmoil of this week. So, I'm going to do something more lighthearted -- pet blogging.

I've never posted a picture of my cat Felix. It's hard to get a good picture of him because he never wants to look at the camera. He has really beautiful eyes, but you can't really tell from these pictures. (As always, click pictures for a larger view.)

Felix is a polydactyl cat. He used to be blacker than he is now. I need to scan in some pictures from when he was younger. He's about fifteen years old and he definitely looks like an old man. He still seems pretty healthy, though, although the last time I took him for his shots and a checkup, they found the beginnings of urinary tract disease. However, he's very finicky and it's very hard to get him to eat the special urinary tract health cat food.

The last time I took him to the vet, I had to sedate him. And even sedated, he still managed to scratch the vet. And the previous two times I took him to the vet, he pooped all over the examination table. Yes, he can be a very bad kitty.

I had a cockatiel for a few months last year, but I sold her because my mother and I just aren't bird people. Plus, I've had parakeets in the past and have had nothing but bad luck with them. I sold her to a bird lover who could give her a much better home. In fact, it was the lady who bought her that informed me that the bird was female. When my Mom and sister bought the bird (to cheer me up after Coco passed away), they were told that she was a young bird and that she was probably a male. I called her Monkeyboy because she reminded me of a little monkey. When I found out she was a female, I shortened the name to Monkey. Anyway, here are some pictures I took of Monkey when I had her:

My dog Betty and Felix get along pretty good. Felix used to snuggle with Coco on chilly mornings and he started doing the same thing with Betty. Felix likes to go in Betty's crate and lay next to her sometimes. I tried getting pictures of this several times, but Betty would always jump up and run out, which would cause Felix to do the same. However, one morning, I managed to shut the door to the crate before they could jump up:

Here's one more of Betty with a squeaky ball:

Betty loves her toys! :-)

Control Freaks

Wow. Was Andrea reading my mind or what?

Really, I'm sick of so many things that have to do with both blogging and real life. I was going to try and write a long, whining post about it, but there's no use in that.

Here is what sums up the problem: the need for control. Barb hits the nail on the head -- people act like they care, but what they really want is control. If you refuse to be controlled, if you don't do what they say, then by God, they will make you pay. How dare you think for yourself!

This applies to just about everything this week: feminism, Muslims, crunchy-cons (and their cheerleaders), ungrateful pacifists rescued by the military, leftists always looking for their pound of flesh...I could go on and on.

Anyway, that's what's been going through my mind this week.

Blog Against Strawconservatives

Ilyka Damen* has a series of posts this week called "Blog Against the Strawfeminist". Her point is that we conservatives unfairly lump all feminsts together as a monolith and argue against cliches and stereotypes of what feminists are.

Okay, I'll admit to being guilty of doing that. But while I remove the speck of sawdust from my eye, perhaps certain feminists should remove the planks from their eyes as well. Because I've seen more than a few instances of feminists going ten rounds with strawconservatives, strawprolifers and strawChristians.

Here is an example of a feminist blogger doing just that. (She also seems to have the idea that conservatives don't believe in women's equality.) There are many more examples, of course. So forgive me if I'm a little unsympathetic to feminist complaints about how all we conservatives do is attack strawfeminists.

The argument is that conservatives argue against strawfeminists and don't listen to real feminists, who differ on various issues. Fine. Then perhaps feminists need to listen to real conservatives, real Christians and real pro-lifers as well. And I mean really listen, instead of making knee-jerk assumptions.

*If you go to Ilyka's main page, she has a humorous intro to her series of posts, so don't miss it.

Finding my happy place...

Seeing my Betty while home for lunch helps. Looking at cute doggies and kitties helps, too.

Music also helps. All this is just a convoluted way of pointing out that I added some songs to the radio blog a couple of days ago. Enjoy!

Combating Angry Crunchy-Cons with Humor

After yesterday's negativity, I think it's fitting to link to this jewel from the Contra-Crunchy blog: The Crunchy Granola Song.

"If you like crunchy granola
making flour out of grain
have a house near the ghetto
ride a bike or the train
If you'd like reading Kirk at midnight
growing organic dates
I'm the guru that you've looked for
email me and escape."

Mark Shea takes me to task...

...and refers to yours truly as "bitchy" in the process. Well, I won't deny that I can be sometimes. Charity is a virtue I'm always struggling with, and sometimes I choose to be perhaps overly emotional and inflammatory. It's too bad that that's the only part of my post that Mr. Shea chose to highlight.

Below is some of what I left in his comments, along with some other thoughts:

My problem with the crunchies is the lack of (dare I say it) nuance. Either you are "crunchy", which means you are deep and spiritual, or you are some mindless idiot who maxes out all your credit cards to have all the latest and greatest stuff. There is a lot of territory between those two extremes.

Without going into details, I put family first every day. I try to make a good living, but I'm not someone who chases after money and power. I love beauty as well. But I also live in the dreaded suburbs and I have been known to shop at K-Mart on occasion (I avoid Walmart -- too crowded and it's hard to find a parking place.) I have a hard enough time making myself eat my vegetables in the first place, so forget organic vegetables. And I shop at regular grocery stores because I just want to get the task over with before my bad back starts plotting a rebellion. I do try to make my home look attractive and I work with getting my roses to bloom every year. I like to make soap and other bath things as a hobby. I do it because it's fun, not to be "crunchy". If I ever make any money off of it, I would be happy just to make enough to support the hobby. I'm not perfect. I struggle with my faith and I admit I seem to be losing the struggle right now. And I get frustrated with what I perceive as judgemental arrogance and I say things like "bite me".

So there I am...neither crunchy nor a mindless consumerist. Is there a nice little label for me?

Finally, while the idea that I have any kind of power to "excommunicate" someone from conservatism is flattering, I assure you that a peon like me doesn't have that kind of power. Mr. Dreher and company have nothing to fear from me.

Home Internet connection down...

Just wanted to let you know that my Internet connection at home is not working at all. The cable guy is supposed to look at it today. If the problem isn't with the cable, I may end up having to buy a new cable modem. If anyone has sent me email, I won't be able to read it until I get my connection back. (I can't access webmail from work.)

Update (5:40pm): My home connection is now working again. The problem was indeed my ancient cable modem. It has been replaced with a nice new one.

Excellent Question

Kathy Shaidle asks the question of the decade: If George Bush is Hitler, why aren't you a lampshade?

As for people who call Bush a "dictator", they need to talk to some folks who have actually lived under dictators, like Cuban-Americans or Iraqis.

I mean, really, get some perspective here...and grow up.

Another Good Link -- Bashing the Crunchies

I'm sure regular readers of this blog know what I think about so-called "Crunchy Conservatism". Most of what I have to say about this I said in this entry and in this comment over at Andrea's place.

NRO's Crunchy Con blog is almost beyond parody, but someone has put up a parody site that is wickedly funny: The Contra-Crunchy Conservative. There are also some good discussions in the comments.

Okay, actually I do have a little more to say about this subject...

Crunchy-cons are the would-be omnipotent moral busybodies C.S. Lewis warned us about. Here's what really chaps my butt: If you don't fret about shopping at regular grocery stores as opposed to organic co-ops, using chainsaws, buying coffee beans, buying chicken, buying things wrapped in plastic, buying things period, etc., you are some shallow, nonspiritual person who is not interested in the Permanent Things, who is materialistic and lives a sterile existence, and who is "not quite human". The whole thing is very off-putting because these people are so pumped up with pride at how much better they are than the rest of us. Here are some words of wisdom for the crunchy-cons, who seem so hung up on measuring their spirituality with material things:

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The thing is, if they stopped buying things, dropped out of the so-called "consumerist" culture and decided to make everything themselves in their little crunchy utopias, they would not even have the computers to update their stupid blog with. What are they going to to? Hand-carve the motherboards, hard drives and keyboards from wood?

Here is what the crunchies need to understand: People are not all the mindless automatons Dreher and company think they are. The rest of us are just trying to get by and do the best we can in life. Not everyone has the time or inclination to sew their own clothes and grow their own food. There is nothing in the world wrong with that. And we don't take to kindly at being judged by the likes of these privileged crunchy-cons.

I mean, these crunchy-cons are obviously financially well off enough and have enough leisure time that they can sit back and pontificate on how awful the rest of us are because we shop at regular grocery stores, rent movies from Netflix and buy clothes rather than sew them ourselves. My response to them: Bite me. It may not be charitable, but they are just as uncharitable, if not more.

The sad thing is, I used to rather like some of these people (such as Dreher and Mathewes-Green). Now I think they are nutty at best or arrogant and conceited at worst.

Update: Kathy Shaidle comments on the crunchy-cons and links to yours truly. (Thanks Kathy!) I have to second her point about hating hippies and ugly hippie culture. Also, she's right about there being beauty in the synthetic. Right now, my wallpaper on my PC is an abstract image that comes from this site: Visual Paradox. The site has some really beautiful 3D art of both abstract objects and natural objects. Other times, I have used photos of flowers and nature scenes for my wallpaper. Both are beautiful to me.

Update 2: To all those coming from Mr. Shea's blog, please see my response. Also, I invite you to take a look around at my site so that you will not take Mr. Shea's assessment of me at face value.

Bringing Back Modesty

While I'm still on blogging sabbatical, I would like to introduce you to a new (at least to me) website and blog whose mission I fully support.

I found it via a post at Dawn Eden's blog a couple of weeks ago. Dawn highlighted the t-shirts in their online store. These shirts really upset some feminist bloggers. For some reason, they find the whole idea of modesty really offensive. Why, I don't know. Either they are too dim to understand that modesty is not "repressive" and doesn't mean women should be ashamed of their bodies. (Actually, it means that women respect their bodies as being something special and precious.) Or else they think the whole "Girls Gone Wild" thing, where stupid, drunk girls get naked so that they can become masturbation fodder for men, is somehow liberating and "sex-positive". Whatever the reason, these innocuous t-shirts got feminist knees a-jerking.

Anyway, the site in question is Modesty Zone and they have a blog: Modestly Yours. Wendy Shalit, who wrote A Return to Modesty, founded the site. (I have this book, but it is one of many I never have time to read. Perhaps I can get an audiobook version of it on iTunes.) The site includes many fine bloggers, such as Ambra Nykol. As far as I'm concerned, these are the real feminists, not the smirking, nasty, foul-mouthed, abortion-is-all-that-matters, anti-modesty, pro-promiscuity, anti-Christian, Islamist-coddling, anti-defense crowd who call themselves feminists these days. Modestly Yours is quite a refreshing oasis in the desert of crap that blogdom is becoming these days. Do check them out.

Update on my mother...

Just wanted to let you know that my mother saw her doctor again today and she is doing much better. Thanks for your prayers! :-)